Elis - Griefshire (2006) - A charismatic testament of calm melancholy - 79% (06/06/11)

This last album with the legendary Sabine Dünser who collapsed during a rehearsal for this record is a dark and melancholic testament with a more or less important conceptual story. The positive thing is that the songs also work as single tracks and this is no overloaded, overambitious or overwhelming record. Still, the depressive and calm atmosphere is an important fundament of this solid funeral album.

In comparison to many other bands of the genre, Elis create a sound that is more down to earth. They don't employ big orchestras, unnecessary male growls and guest musicians that play strange folk instruments. Dark and melancholic guitar riffs and a few pianos gather around Düner's charismatic, calm and fragile voice that is technically a little bit thin but nevertheless easy to appreciate and a great alternative to operatic voices. The problem is that neither her voice nor the musicians vary very much and that's why this album is stucked in mediocrity after the first half and sounds too repetitive.

The greatest songs on this record turn out to be the two German tracks. "Die Stadt" tells a very creative and poetic story about a lost town and the music is as mysterious and melancholic as the vocals are. The song creates many pictures in my head and the brilliant lyrics are very inspiring. "Seit dem Anbeginn der Zeit" is another rather calm song that convinces with an exotic and slight orchestral folk ending that leave me thinking, dreaming and relaxing as if I got hypnotized in the end.

The number of straighter songs are rather limited on this record like the solid opener "Tales from heaven or hell", the more stereotypical and slightly traditional "The burning" or the rather disappointing Black Sabbath cover song "Heaven and hell". This album focusses on smooth ballads like "How long" and "Forgotten love" which a gothic metal fan won't easily appreciate if he hasn't a little faible for down to earth piano melodies, decent classical orchestrations and catchy pop ballads. Those songs are nevertheless catchy and they won't get out of your head no matter if you happen to like them or not. One must at least give this point to the band which. Those skills are founded on the good songwriting and the catchy vocals by Sabine Dünser who turns out to be one of the most talented female vocalists and most creative heads of the genre. She has a very unique and intellectual approach to music and sounds like a mysterious fairy. This album really underlines that her death is not only a big loss for the band but also for the whole gothic metal world.

In the end, this record is a great testament and defines Sabine Dünser as a unique, calm and catchy vocalist and an introspective, creative and intellectual songwriter. You should really try out some of her songs as this album isn't that much comprabale to similar bands and shows us something new. But if you happen to not be entirely pleased by her voice and her lyrics, there is not the glimpse of the chance that you might like this record as this is her personal musical testament. On the other side, the fans that always thought that the vocalist of the band was great and unique but the music sounded rather limited might consider this record as their favourite one of the band though even if there are a few mediocre song in the second half. Nevertheless, I would like to underline once more that this record is one of the most interesting ones of its kind in the past years and something fresh.

In the end, I hope that the band might find once again a new singer that is as unique as Sabine Dünser was even if she can't be directly replaced in any way. I would also suggest that the new band should focus on German lyrics inspired by the style and skills of Sabine Dünser in the future. Those lyrics are not only more exotic and unique but they are touching and convincing and the band simply seems to feel most at ease with them.